I went to beer mecca Portland last weekend.  I’d never been there before and I was pretty impressed.  I’d liken the city to one big Commercial Drive, at least the places I saw.  What impressed me most about Portland was the constant selection of fantastic beer and food.  Everywhere we went we had an abundance of local craft selection sold at extremely low prices, as little as $3 per pint.  We went to a lot of cool places in Portland, but my favorite place we visited was Belmont Station.

Belmont Station is an epic beer store stocked with an enormous selection of amazing beers from around the world.  The closest comparable we have here is Brewery Creek, but our liquor laws and taxes prevent them from competing as well as they’d like to.  I was overwhelmed when I walked in to Belmont Station.  I wanted to buy everything, but was obviously limited as to what I could bring back across the border after a two day trip.  I picked up some Russian River brews I’d never seen anywhere else before.  I also bought Aphrodisiaque, a cocoa vanilla bean stout brewed by Quebec’s Dieu du Ciel.  I’d never seen this beer in BC before, which I find upsetting.  You’d think we’d be able to procure some of Canada’s finest?  Another notable purchase was Chatoe Rogue Dirtoir Black Lager, which is made from Rogues home grown barley and hops.  There were others, but these were the notables of consumed and enjoyed so far.

If you can believe it, Belmont Station also has an attached beer bar with 22 taps of top notch beer.  We all ordered something different and all received something wonderful.  For me, it was my first chance to drink the legendary Pliny the Elder.  It stands up to it’s reputation as being one of the greatest beers in the world.  Erik and I were actually angry at how amazing and affordable Belmont Station is.  Why can’t we have something like that here?  Any future trips to Portland will involve a visit or two to Belmont Station.  If you love beer, you must go.

Cheers,

Chris